Christening DC if not religious

[ChoccieEgg49]

Friends of ours seem to Christen their DC although don't go to church. Neither seem religious that I'm aware of anyway.

I just wondered what people's thoughts are on this. Is it grabby for gifts etc, or fine, you don't need to be religious/a churchgoer?

I always assumed it was a religious thing, but maybe I'm wrong or times have changed 💁‍♀️

I'm not being judgy - just genuinely unsure

@yourenottgebossoofme yes saying "Christian family" kinda came out wrong - apologies 🙂
Although I assume your son understands you are a Christian and what you believe etc. That's nice that he will go to church with you even though he's atheist.
It's the families that literally do nothing to do with Christianity after having a christening that I find odd.

It could be traditional for them. I can't imagine how someone else christening their children would be an issue for me. Let them live their lives as they want.

To be honest I don’t make him go for my benefit- his Godmother is the vicar and we go to see her.

It isn't the baptism that makes you Christian. No one of any age would be turned away from heaven because they hadn't been baptised. It's a symbol, nothing magic.

Whether you believe that depends on your particular doctrine.

We did (15 years ago) as myself and siblings are christened and it was important to my mum, I wouldn't do it if I had my time again although we had a lovely day.

We didn't have ours christened as we don't go to church. It caused real upset with my parents as 'it's the done thing in the family'.
My 'god mother', mothers sister, has been utterly absent, and watched my family go through tough times, inc my oarebts deaths, with not a word or lifting a finger at all.
I recently found a bible she gave me on my christening day. It made me feel physically nauseous that she could be that hypocritical.
Not for me I'm afraid

Baptism washes away the sin,hence the tradition of baptising babies(especially poorly ones) so if anything happened they would be without sin and accepted into heaven.

Exactly- babies are born in a state of sin in a lot of denominations, they have to be baptised as soon as possible.

The C of E also doesn’t believe in limbo. You die before baptism, you go to hell. That is why baptism has traditionally been done asap.

Definitely not the doctrine of any C of E church I've ever been part of.

What isn’t? The limbo bit or the hell bit?

Being religious and being a regular church goer are different things.

A christening is absolutely religious and is about promising to bring a child up in that faith.....so being an atheist we did not have one.

But for many people Christianity is more cultural and belief in God is just a belief....not a worship. So I understand why people who don't seem religious still want a christening...just like getting married in a church.

SCHOOLS SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

Both.
Limbo was a Roman Catholic belief.
I've never been taught that baptism is a get into heaven free card and without it you are automatically condemned to hell, regardless of your faith or belief. I've just been doing some quick googling and I can't see anything that says unbaptised people go to hell.
In the 39 articles of religion, this is what it says about baptism -
27. Of Baptism
Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or new Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young Children is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.

First off I have a relative who is very deeply religious and reads the bible every night but never goes to church... you don't know what their private beliefs are.

Secondly, a lot of people value the cultural symbolism, the ritual, the social rites of religious ceremonies even if they don't believe in the religion particularly.

You may agree or disagree with that, but it's not necessarily that they just want gifts.

Baptism isn’t a get into heaven free card, it is the erasure of sin up to that point- it is essential for entry to heaven but does not guarantee it.

In the C of E doctrine babies are born with original sin, so they need to be baptised to have a hope of salvation, otherwise if they die they are without Grace- I.e. in a state of sin.

Obviously a lot of babies used to die, hence the habit of baptism as soon as possible.

DEARLY beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour Christ saith, none can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the Holy Ghost:

That is the beginning of the baptism service.

https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/public-baptism-infants

Article 9 of the articles of Religion explains original sin.

This.
I’m Christian and wanted my kids christened.
my (somewhat annoyingly principled, atheist) DH couldn’t promise to bring them up in the Christian faith. So we didn’t.

@NannyR

Another reason why it was common in the past and became tradition for many.
Due to high rates of infant mortality, it is important to note that canon law denied unbaptized infants a Christian burial in sacred ground.

Faith is also very personal and not linear. A lot of people go through stages from regular churchgoers, to agnostic, to only Easter and Christmas, to atheists, to practicing at home in their own way, to changing religions or whatever other combination. Some people will go through all of those stages throughout their lives.

I do get the “wanting to celebrate the arrival of baby” thing, which I suppose a baptism is to many.
Didn’t want a “naming ceremony” - what a loads of cobblers. My mum kindly had a do at her house and got catering in and invited extended family. Sorted.

Catamaran viper you might want to get some of those facts right the Rc schools are paid for not by the local government! They are paid for the parents of children who are attending the schools each child pays so much each term towards their school’s building funds! Besides that they have a donation to Caford to make so many times a year! Then we have to pay for the retreats and field trips extra & expenses that they have to go with them! They don’t get paid any subsidies from anyone, even the church diocese for the poorest families! 😡

@IngridPrice you should check your facts.

The school buildings and land of Catholic schools are owned by the Catholic Church. The Church provides these premises, at no charge, to enable the state to fulfil its obligation to provide education for the population. The day to day running costs of Catholic schools are funded by the state in the same way that all schools are funded (either through local authority or DfE funding agreements). The Church covers 10% of the capital costs for the maintenance of the premises in all voluntary aided schools.
Through this arrangement the Catholic Church saves the taxpayer tens of millions of pounds a year.

Where I live the Catholic schools are twice as good as the non Catholic ones, so that’s a big motivator.
Also I fear my granny would haunt me if I didn’t.

Hmm - I'm going to have a chat with my vicar about this to clarify things in my head.
The Bible verse from which this prayer is taken is Mark 16:16 "whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" - Jesus doesn't say "whoever does not believe and isn't baptised will be condemned" he places belief as the most important thing.
Our vicar will only baptise babies very rarely, our Anglican Church prefers to do adult baptism - surely if he believed that babies and children were at risk of hell from not being baptised he would hold a different stance.

What a strange post. It’s not about ‘letting people live their lives’ - of course people do what they want. It’s questioning the integrity and mindset of folks who stand in a place of worship, make deeply theological vows in front of a vicar and then completely ignore everything they’ve said about bringing the child up in faith.

They never come to church again. What a mockery of something so sacred. Why do they bother?